*'''February 2013: Solar cooking and processing workshops in India''' - [[Celestino Ruivo]], of the [[Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Universidade do Algarve|Instituto Superior de Engenharia da Universidade do Algarve]], traveled to [[India]] at the end of January to attend the 1st International Solar Food Processing Network workshop at the Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He brought with him 50 kg. of solar cooking bagage: 8 black pots, 16 glasses of windows cloth washing machines, corrugated sheet metal, reflective foil and tools to make low cost and effective portable funnel cookers. Creatively, Celestino used his suitcase as the mold to construct examples of his [[Celestino Solar Funnel Cooker|solar funnel cooker]] in concrete. He also gave a lecture about solar cooking and how to construct a funnel cooker at the CT institute in Punjab for more than 300 students, as well teaching solar cooking for ladies in domestic context at Jalandhar. The eight funnel cookers were donated to friends in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Muni Seva Ashram, Vadodara, Jalandhar and New Delhi.

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*'''February 2013: Solar cooking and processing workshops in India''' - [[Celestino Ruivo]], of the [[Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Universidade do Algarve|Instituto Superior de Engenharia da Universidade do Algarve]] in [[Portugal]], traveled to [[India]] at the end of January to attend the 1st International Solar Food Processing Network workshop at the Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He brought with him 50 kg. of solar cooking bagage: 8 black pots, 16 glasses of windows cloth washing machines, corrugated sheet metal, reflective foil and tools to make low cost and effective portable funnel cookers. Creatively, Celestino used his suitcase as the mold to construct examples of his [[Celestino Solar Funnel Cooker|solar funnel cooker]] in concrete. He also gave a lecture about solar cooking and how to construct a funnel cooker at the CT institute in Punjab for more than 300 students, as well teaching solar cooking for ladies in domestic context at Jalandhar. The eight funnel cookers were donated to friends in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Muni Seva Ashram, Vadodara, Jalandhar and New Delhi.

Contents

Events

News and Recent Developments

February 2013: Solar cooking and processing workshops in India - Celestino Ruivo, of the Instituto Superior de Engenharia da Universidade do Algarve in Portugal, traveled to India at the end of January to attend the 1st International Solar Food Processing Network workshop at the Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. He brought with him 50 kg. of solar cooking bagage: 8 black pots, 16 glasses of windows cloth washing machines, corrugated sheet metal, reflective foil and tools to make low cost and effective portable funnel cookers. Creatively, Celestino used his suitcase as the mold to construct examples of his solar funnel cooker in concrete. He also gave a lecture about solar cooking and how to construct a funnel cooker at the CT institute in Punjab for more than 300 students, as well teaching solar cooking for ladies in domestic context at Jalandhar. The eight funnel cookers were donated to friends in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Muni Seva Ashram, Vadodara, Jalandhar and New Delhi.

January 2013: The original funnel solar panel cooker was inspired by the CooKit. This efficient solar panel cooker was developed in 2007 using sheets of polypropylene. Recycled windows of clothes washing machines were used to create the greenhouse effect around the pot. A variation of the cooker made of concrete and common mirrors has been tested since 2009. Some of the main advantages of this solar cooker are: low cost reproduction in every part of the world using local available common materials, intuitive and practical use, water rain resistant and wind resistant and no risk for fire ignition. The useful heating capacity of this model was estimated around a value of 100 W. Read more at Experiences of solar cooking in Portugal during the last six years

August 2008: Since becoming “well contaminated with the virus of solar cooking” at the 2006 International Solar Cookers Conference in Spain, professor Celestino Rodrigues Ruivo has become an important advocate for solar cooking in Portugal and beyond. Ruivo credits Pedro Serrano, of Chile’sRed Iberoamericana de Cocinas Solares (RECOSOL), and others for helping him overcome his initial skepticism. Ruivo learned to solar cook using a “CooKit” given to him by Solar Cookers International (SCI). He has since made and used several types of solar cookers, mostly “low cost apparatus using recycled materials.” Over ninety percent of his meals are now cooked with solar energy. Ruivo started promoting solar cookers locally — at his home, in local schools and restaurants, etc. — and worked with local media. Then he broadened his scope to other regions of Portugal, and eventually to Brazil and Spain. He’s even becoming known in Australia, where an interview with Ruivo (taped during a solar cooker workshop he conducted for about 70 Scouts) was broadcast on Australia’s SBS television program “Dateline.” Ruivo conducts numerous promotional activities. He has held several solar cooker conferences at the University of Algarve, with sessions on the evolution of solar cookers in Portugal, solar cooker distribution strategies, and solar cooker construction. He has also assisted with solar picnics and participated in solar cooking contests. According to Serrano, Ruivo has “developed an intensive process to diffuse the technology, [organizing] workshops, symposiums, courses, etc. — more than 20 activities in only one year.” Though Ruivo admits to being somewhat tired, he says he will continue his efforts to “contaminate others with this solar cooking virus.”

April 21-25, 2008: One class of eigth grade students from D. Paio Peres Correia Basic School, Tavira, Portugal will fly to Porto Novo, Cabo Verde, to facilitate solar cooking construction and use workshops. The workshops will be realized in Porto Novo's Technical School and in Social Centers of porto Novo, as part of a cooperation program, promoted by Centro Ciência Viva de Tavira, and will be part of the trainning of local students, teachers and social workers, to become solar cooking promoters.[Source: Filipe Santos]

March 2006: Armando Herculano reports that he leads solar cooking demonstrations and workshops for schools, nongovernmental organizations, and local agencies. He recently designed a panel-type solar cooker called Girassol (“sun flower”). Its pentagonal shape eliminates the need to reorient the cooker to track the sun’s movement. With teacher friend António Serafim, Armando Herculano introduced the solar cooker to classes at National University of East Timor. This event was covered in local newspapers (Semanário 575859; Timor Post) as well as on the 'TIMOR CONTACTO' portuguese international television (RTPi) program . Contact:Armando Herculano